


The Dance

by IridescentWing



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Cute, F/M, Island Mode (Dangan Ronpa), Romance, School Dances, Sondam - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 13:37:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14356605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IridescentWing/pseuds/IridescentWing
Summary: Gundham was usually prepared for anything, but when Usami pops up on the screen one day announcing a class dance for him and the rest of his classmates on the island, he felt like the biggest demon he had ever faced began to take form. Of course he knew who he wanted to take, but would she say yes? How would he even ask? Nervousness envelopes him, but with the help of a friend, he might be able to push through.





	1. Change of Plans

**Author's Note:**

> This is one I have been working on-and-off on for a few days! I'm trying out a chapter format rather than just one long fic! I saw a fan-art of Gundham and Sonia dancing together, and knew I had to write this!

It was another beautiful day on Jabberwock Island – the sun was shining, the ocean waves gently lapped at the sandy shore, and all was calm. Gundham Tanaka had just finished gathering materials for the day, and had dropped them off with Hajime Hinata, the leader of the group. Usami had them collecting raw materials during part of the day to eventually make whatever item it was she decided. Apparently, it was all a team building exercise for the class while they stayed on the island. Now that his work day was done, Gundham did what he usually did and went to the beach. Usami had scolded him once before for not collecting hope fragments like the others did. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to collect them, though, it was more that no one seemed to want to be with him.  
The closest person he had on the island was Sonia Nevermind, the princess of a faraway land. However, she was pretty popular on the island, and garnered a lot of attention. That meant she wasn’t free every day, which often left Gundham by himself.

Gundham sat on the beach, and his Dark Devas crawled out of their various hiding spots in his clothing and began to play in the sand. Gundham had removed his black combat boots and socks to stick his feet in the sand, enjoying the warmth it brought. He was not a fan of the water, as he had never learned to swim, but he managed to somewhat hide that fact from the others. Or, so he thought, anyway. Closing his eyes, he felt the sea wind blow through his hair and over his skin. Perhaps the island was not so bad, after all. Even if he was alone.

Ba-Ba-Ba-Buh!

Suddenly, Usami appeared on the screen hanging on the palm tree a couple of feet away from where Gundham sat. He quickly looked up at the sky, but it was not dark yet. So far, Usami had only made announcements in the morning as a wake-up call, and at night as a goodnight to everyone. Why would she be making one now?

Gundham slowly got up, brushing the sand off of his pants and collecting the Dark Devas, and walked over to the palm tree, eyebrows furrowed. What he heard Usami say next struck more fear into him than any dark beast ever had before.

“Hello class!” Usami’s cheery voice rang out through the screen’s speakers. “I have a very special message for you all! You all have been doing such a great job at collecting materials and hope fragments, that I have decided to give you all a prize!” Usami’s small animal-like arms swung up into the air, “On your next day off, we will have a class dance!”  
Gundham’s mouth dropped open. There was no way this was real. Was it? “I have prepared formal wear for you all, so do not worry about that, hehe!” Usami winked. “For now, think about who you will go to the dance with! You wouldn’t want to show up alone would you? You might even get a hope fragment or two!” Usami pressed her paws to her cheeks, the excitement seemed to be too much for her to contain. “I am very excited, and I hope you are too! Good luck, and have fun everyone!” The screen went black.

Gundham continued to stare at the screen in horror. A dance? He had never been to a dance in his life. He hardly even hung out with his classmates so far, and he had been getting used to being alone. For the most part. The Dark Devas climbed up to sit on his shoulders, and one on top of his head. Perhaps they sensed his dread, and assumed there was a fight about to happen. But no, Gundham thought, this was going to be more brutal than any fight they had ever faced.


	2. A Friend In Need

Gundham had walked back to his room, managing to avoid his classmates on the way back. His Dark Devas were fast asleep in their cage, all huddled together in what looked like a round ball of fur. “I have to… ask someone to the dance?” Gundham pulled his scarf over his mouth, a habit he had formed as a child – anytime he got anxious, it was a good cover.

Gundham paced in his room back and forth before flopping onto his bed, facedown. As he continued to think of the horrific predicament he was now in, Sonia’s face came to mind. Gundham flipped over onto his back, placing his arm over his eyes. There was no way Sonia would go with him, he thought, she had probably already been asked by at least Kazuichi Souda. The thought of Sonia going with that pink haired fool caused Gundham some annoyance. Princess Sonia was way too good for Souda. He clenched his fist at the thought.

_Ba-Ba-Ba-Buh!_

Before he knew it, the morning wake-up call by Usami was playing loud in his cottage. “Wh-?” Gundham, mumbled and sat up in his bed. He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, and he felt out of sorts. “I must have fallen asleep,” he commented out loud. He glanced over at the Dark Devas colorful cage and found that they were all already sitting on top of it, waiting for their master to take charge of the day.

Changing into a new set of clothing – identical to the ones he wore yesterday (Usami had given them each a large amount of clothing identical to the ones that they were wearing when they awoke on the island), he placed his arm out in front of his Dark Devas. “Are you ready to face the day, my Dark Devas?” Before he could even finish his sentence, the Dark Devas had crawled up his arm and hid themselves among his scarf.

Each morning, his class all always met at the hotel restaurant on the second floor of the hotel lobby building by their cottages. Making his way towards the lobby, he ran into none other than Hajime Hinata. Gundham did not dislike Hajime and was even budding on calling him a friend. Perhaps Hajime could give him advice on what to do about the dreaded dance?

“Gundham!” Hajime waved as he exited his own cottage. “Hajime Hinata,” Gundham replied with a nod of his head. “No one has seen you in a whole day, man. Where have you been?” Hajime always seemed to be invested in everyone’s lives on the island, and he was a professional at making sure no one felt left out. Gundham liked this trait, as that meant he too would get to participate in things if Hajime was there to ensure it.

“I was simply honing my dark arts on the beach yesterday after I dropped off my materials,” Gundham replied. He couldn’t let Hajime know that he simply didn’t have anyone to be with. “Well, did you get the message from Usami?” Hajime asked. They continued walking towards the lobby and stood outside of the door. “Yes, I got the false animal’s message,” Gundham replied stiffly. “So?” Hajime prodded, “Who are you going to ask?”

Gundham felt his face redden with embarrassment. “I – I mean,” he stuttered the words. He placed his pointer finger and his thumb on the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “I don’t… even know how to dance,” he finished, his voice quiet. “You mean you’ve never been to a school dance, or anything?” Hajime crossed his arms and tilted his head. Gundham had told Hajime some about his past of avoiding class mates, but perhaps he did not realize it went so far as to avoid events such as school dances as well.

“I have never been to one, and so I do not know how they go, or how to even ask someone to go with me,” Gundham continued, his hand still to his face, embarrassed of the very words coming out of his mouth. A big grin crept onto Hajime’s face, “That means you _do_ have someone in mind then, don’t you?” Hajime placed his hands on his hips as if he were celebrating some private victory in getting to the bottom of Gundham’s behavior. “This conversation is over, Hinata,” Gundham suddenly spoke up, and pushed past Hajime and went into the lobby.

Gundham hardly made it up the stairs before Hajime had caught up with him. “Hey, I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he pleaded. “I actually want to help.” Gundham stopped mid step and turned back to face Hajime at the bottom of the steps. “What could a mortal like you possibly do to help me?” Gundham’s voice was cold as steel, he had already told Hajime that this conversation was over – how does Hajime always seem to have a way past his defenses?

Hajime crossed his arms, his brows furrowed. “I have the most hope fragments of everyone on the island, so whoever it is – I bet I can tell you what they like, or maybe I could put in a good word for you?” Gundham continued to stare at Hajime, and did not move a muscle, “And what would you get out of this endeavor?” Hajime smiled, “It’s what friends are for, right? We are _all_ supposed to have a good time at the dance, right?” Gundham looked down at the floor, suddenly aware of how much of a jerk he had been acting towards one of the only people who gave him the time of day. “Maybe…. Maybe you are right, Hinata.”

“How long are you two gonna stand there!?” A booming voice came from the second floor. It was none other than Akane Owari, and she had piles of food stuffed in her mouth already. “Come on, hurry up and come eat! Or I’m going to eat it all, and you can’t complain!” she continued to yell. Gundham looked back at Hajime, and they nodded at each other in solidarity. Maybe the dance wouldn’t be so bad, Gundham was beginning to think that maybe it was a chance to really get in with his class mates.


	3. Duty Calls

After breakfast, everyone split off into their duties for material collecting. Hajime walked towards Gundham and sat down next to him at the breakfast table. “Why don’t we go together today? We just have cleaning duty anyways,” Hajime said as if he wasn’t the one who made everyone’s schedule. Gundham nodded and got up silently. Accepting help from a friend was so out of the norm – everything that had been happening had been so out of the norm for him. It was uncomfortable, but isn’t wasn’t unwelcome.

Gundham and Hajime began cleaning up the breakfast area, taking empty plates and left-over food back to the kitchen. “So,” Gundham began after they had been working silently for a few minutes, “What do you know about Sonia?” He kept his back to Hajime, so that his friend could not see the blush on his face. Hajime laughed, “I knew it,” he said to himself, yet loud enough for Gundham to hear. “Do not make a fool of me, Hinata, or I will make sure it is the last mistake you make!” Gundham yelled in defense. He could feel the sweat on his face.

Hajime continued to chuckle, “I just assumed it was her, you guys spend a lot of time together. It’s not a bad thing,” Gundham felt Hajime’s presence right behind him. Turning to face the brown haired boy, he sighed and crossed his arms. “Yes, if I were to ask someone… It would be her,” Gundham confirmed.

Hajime set his cleaning supplies down and sat on the table bench nearest to them, placing his hand on his face – deep in thought. Gundham remained standing, a duster limp in his hand. “Sonia would probably love to be asked by you, you know,” Hajime finally spoke. Gundham grabbed at his scarf, “Why do you say that?” He wondered if Sonia had said something to Hajime on one of their various outings for hope fragments.

“Well, it’s pretty obvious to everyone else that she seems pretty fond of you,” Hajime explained. “She is always with you when she can be, and she seems to really, uh, understand you?” He ended with a shrug. “When you say everyone,” Gundham sat down beside Hajime, “Do you mean I am the only one who has been unaware?” He clenched his fists. Hajime laughed and placed his hand on Gundham’s shoulder, “That’s how it always goes, though. Usually the person of someone else’s affection can’t see it, but it is obvious to everyone else, you know?”

Gundham began to feel somewhat hopeful. Maybe he really did have a chance with the beautiful princess. “Do you know if Souda has asked her already?” Gundham looked up at Hajime, bracing himself for any bad news. Hajime shook his head, “I don’t know, but knowing him, he might have. He moves fast. He moves faster than anyone I’ve ever seen when it comes to Sonia.” Gundham nodded, he knew what he had to do. “If he has asked her, I’ll simply have to destroy him.”

Hajime stood up quickly, “N-Now, I don’t think that is necessary. I honestly don’t think Sonia would say yes to him.” Gundham looked up, he felt irritated. What was he supposed to do if he couldn’t just destroy his competition? “However,” Hajime continued, picking up the duster Gundham had put down, “She might say yes if she feels like she has no one else to go with. I don’t think any girl would want to go to a dance and be alone.” Hajime began cleaning once more. Gundham felt panic rise within him – what if he was too late? What if she already said yes to Souda? He wasn’t sure Souda had even asked already, but the probability was high.

Gundham stood up quickly, determination flowing through his body. “Hajime!” He yelled. Hajime jumped, he seemed to be startled. Gundham began cleaning as fast as he could, taking as many plates as he could hold and headed towards the kitchen. “I have to hurry, if I do not, the Dark Queen might already have been captured by that fool.” Gundham felt the plate load lessen as Hajime took half of his too-large stack. “Here, we will finish this last load of dishes, and then you can go. I can finish the rest myself,” Hajime smiled.

As they worked quickly to finish the last pile of dishes, Gundham headed towards the stairs. “Gundham,” Hajime called, stopping Gundham in his tracks. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I’m sure she’ll be happy. By the way, I had her go to the beach for collections today.” Gundham looked back over his shoulder, a triumphant smile on his face, “Thank you, Hajime Hinata.” And he was off.


	4. The Beach

Gundham ran as fast as he could towards the beach. They had only started working about an hour or so ago, so it was unlikely Sonia would be finished yet. He could see the beach on the horizon before long, and a nervous excitement swelled up inside of him. What would he even say? Would she really say yes? Upon reaching the grassy area before the sand on the beach, he could Sonia at the sea shore. However, she was not alone.

Gundham stood back, trying to make out who the other person was. His heart dropped. He would recognize that bright pink hair anywhere – Kazuichi Souda was standing next to Sonia. They seemed to be having a conversation, but about what, Gundham didn’t know. Was he already too late? He suddenly felt the need to turn back and give up. Hajime would be disappointed in him, he knew that much. The Dark Devas came up from their hiding places, and Maga-Z nuzzled his face to Gundham’s cheek. “My Dark Devas, you are always so perceptive to me,” Gundham whispered to himself. He continued to watch from afar, his heart breaking.

“Gundham!” He heard his name being called. He had been spotted – and Sonia was calling his name. Now he had no choice, he had to go over, or else they would know he was spying on them. He took a frigid step forward, and another, and another. He lifted his hand in acknowledgement, unsure of what land mine he was about to walk into.

“Are you already done cleaning for the day?” Sonia asked cheerfully as Gundham came upon the group. “Ah, yes,” he answered simply. “What made you come to the beach?” Kazuichi asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I spend a lot of my time here,” Gundham answered. “I like to meditate here and master my concentration. What are you doing, Kazuichi Souda?”

Souda gestured towards Sonia, “Well, I also got done early today, so I came and found Miss Sonia to see if she needed any help.” Sonia gave Gundham an awkward smile and raised her eyebrows – however, she was turned so Souda could not see her face. Gundham felt his hope begin to reform, she obviously did not want Souda’s company.

Sonia pointed towards the grassy part of the beach, further inland and away from the shore. “Kazuichi, would you mind going and searching over there for a little bit? I wasn’t able to find any of those leaves Hajime was wanting, and I was wondering if maybe they would be over there?” She looked at Souda with a smile on her face, but her tone of voice made Gundham think of a queen handing out an order to a jester.

“But Miss Sonia-“ Kazuichi began to speak in protest, his hands on his beanie, “What are you going to do then?” Sonia gestured towards the shore, “I am going to continue here. Gundham can help me find the shells, right Gundham?” Gundham nodded his head. “Plus, his Dark Devas could probably help, too!” Sonia clasped her hands together in excitement – Gundham had noticed that she was usually happy to have his Dark Devas around. Souda stood in place for a moment, before reluctantly taking the hint and began walking towards the grassy area of the island. “Ok Miss Sonia, if you say so.” Gundham could’ve swore that as Kazuichi walked away, he heard sobs coming from the pink haired mechanic.

Gundham turned to face Sonia, as they were alone now. He swallowed, his throat suddenly felt dry. Too dry. Like he hadn’t drank water in a thousand years. “Well,” Sonia began, her hands still clasped happily in front of her, “Where do you want to begin? I’ve already been down the right side, so I think we should go down the left.” Gundham followed her lead, yet his eyes were focused on her, rather than the shore. Had his chance arrived? Was it too sudden to simply ask outright? He felt a hundred questions forming in his mind, yet no words ever made it to his mouth.

Sonia and Gundham picked shells together for the rest of the work day before returning to the starting point of the beach. Gundham cursed himself for not asking her yet, but he felt like the time simply wasn’t right. They placed their collections into the basket that Usami had provided for them, and Sonia wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “What a day! I think we got everything Hajime asked for,” she smiled at Gundham, and Gundham couldn’t help but smile back. “Yes, it seems we have accomplished what we set out to do,” he confirmed. “Why don’t we stay here a little while longer? I know you like to come to the beach afterwards, and there’s still some time left before we need to report to Hajime,” Sonia suggested.

Gundham crossed his arms, “Yes, it has been awhile since we have spent time together, hasn’t it?” Sonia gave him a sheepish smile, “I am sorry for that, it just seemed like everyone suddenly wanted to collect the hope fragments with me. And I couldn’t turn them down, since that is why we are here.” She looked down at the ground before continuing, “But I really did miss spending time with you,” she finished quietly. Gundham could feel the heat in his cheeks as he attempted to play things cool, “I also missed the time that we usually share together.” Sonia looked up at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the shore, “Come on, let us go!”


	5. Facing Opportunity

Gundham allowed himself to be pulled by Sonia, and they ended up running together back towards the shoreline, Sonia laughing happily the whole way. Gundham couldn’t help but smile to himself, he had missed her cheerful self.

Reaching the shoreline, they both were gasping for air. Gundham less so than Sonia, as he tried to make the expedition look effortless. Sonia was red-faced and her hair was out of place and wind-blown, a look that reaffirmed Gundham’s belief that Sonia was beautiful no matter how regal or un-regal she looked. Gundham took off his scarf – his defenses against social interaction – and laid it on the beach. His Dark Devas climbed out beforehand, and were on his shoulders.

“Oh, Gundham,” Sonia placed her hands over her chest, “With such a lovely face, you shouldn’t hide it behind your scarf!” She closed her eyes and tilted her head. “T-Thank you, Sonia,” he smiled softly. Sonia sat down on the shore line, yet she was far enough away from the water to not get wet. Gundham sat next to her, and his Dark Devas crawled down his shoulders and went to set up fort in his scarf on the ground. Gundham removed his jacket as well, now only wearing his white shirt. He was simply getting too warm underneath all of his gear, as the sun was still brightly shining down on the beach.

They sat in silence together, watching the waves. Gundham once again felt his words become blocked in his heart – unable to ask the pretty girl next to him to the dance. It must be a curse from a dark demon, he thought, to not be able to form words when he most wanted to.

Sonia looked over at him, “So, Gundham, have you decided who you will take to the dance?” Gundham felt his insides freeze over. He kept his face towards the sea, unsure of what to say. “I’ve thought about it,” he finally answered. He placed his hands in the sand, squeezing the grains between his fingers in nervousness. “That…” He began, slowly turning his head towards her, “…is actually why I came to the beach today.”

Sonia’s mouth opened in surprise, “Wait- you mean?” she placed her hands up near her mouth in shock. Gundham knew he must be bright red at this point, but he pushed on through anyways. “Sonia…” He took a deep breath, “I wanted to ask if-“ his voice seemed to freeze and he closed his eyes, “If you would go to the dance with me?” It was out in the open now. No turning back. No regrets. The moment that he had been looking to find had come to him unexpectedly, and it seemed to drag out for forever.

“I would absolutely love to go with you!” Sonia exclaimed,  her hands now clasping one of his. Gundham opened his eyes in surprise, and stared at her, “You will?” He asked, dumbfounded. Sonia nodded her head, “I am so glad you asked, I was afraid I would have to go alone.” Gundham tilted his head to one side, “I figured you would have had someone already.” Sonia laughed aloud, “Well, I think Kazuichi was going to ask me earlier today, but when you showed up it gave me the perfect excuse to send him elsewhere.” She was beaming, which made Gundham truly laugh out loud.

Sonia squeezed his hand she held harder, “You can come to my cottage before the dance, and we can walk together. I’ll be waiting for you!” Gundham raised his shoulders, and smiled at her, “Of course I can pick you up, it is the least I can do in exchange for you coming with me, after all.” Sonia once again turned towards the ocean water, still smiling. “A date it is, then,” she said proudly. Gundham felt his heart race at the thought of a date with Sonia Nevermind – a date that he didn’t even know he would be able to get. He felt excited for the chance that lay before him. He hoped they would dance together, even though he didn’t know how. He hoped they would drink punch and eat finger foods together, to make memories together. “Yes, a date,” he nodded, “I promise not to disappoint you, Sonia.”

Sonia slowly got up from the sandy shore and brushed her dress off, holding a hand out to Gundham, “I think it is time for us to bring our collection to Hajime.” Gundham took her hand and stood up as well, also getting the remaining sand off of his clothing. “Yes, we wouldn’t want to be late,” he grabbed his jacket and scarf from the ground, his Devas finding their way into their usual spots quickly. He owed Hajime these materials at the very least, for it was he who gave Gundham the confidence to achieve what he just did.

After giving their materials to Hajime, Sonia bid the two boys farewell and made her way back to her cottage. Hajime stared at Gundham, obviously excited to hear the details of what happened. “So?” Hajime asked as soon as Sonia was out of sight. “How did it go?” Gundham let out one of his usual triumphant laughs, “I am the victor, Hajime Hinata!” his hands were in the air as he laughed – the overwhelming joy he felt finally breaking through his usually stoic demeanor. Hajime smiled at his friend, letting out a small sigh of relief.

“I am in your debt, Hajime Hinata,” Gundham was serious again. Hajime laughed awkwardly, “It was no big deal, I’m glad things went well. I told you they would.” Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, Usami was before them. “Love is in the air!” she chimed in a sing song voice, “Hope is abounding!” She then took the baskets that were filled with materials, and disappeared as fast as she had appeared. “What an odd… thing,” Hajime commented. Gundham was beginning to walk back towards his cottage, feeling as light as a feather, “However, she is not wrong,” he said as he turned away. He had faced the biggest demon of all – his own fear - and came out on top. Gundham Tanaka had never felt better. All there was left to do was to wait out the painfully long night and daytime of tomorrow before he could arrive at Sonia’s door, all ready to take the most wonderful girl of the island out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far! I am excited to get to write the dance next. Be looking forward to it!


End file.
